Ryan Flanagan

Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because I've always liked helping others, whether that be to support them or help them understand something they never thought they could. I've taught some of my friends how to drive, instructed young adults in high school how to code websites for mock clients, and I've also mentored two FIRST Lego League robotic teams. Teaching is extremely gratifying to me and showing up for my students every day and being a positive role model for them to grow and learn is everything to me.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I have a lot of students that dislike the math components in science such as balancing equations, unit conversions, etc. I remember one of my chemistry classes absolutely dreading our lesson on electron configuration. After the lesson and working through some practice problems, they seemed to really enjoy it and even asked me for me problems. Not only was it gratifying to watch their growth mindsets push through something difficult, but they really enjoyed what they had learned.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Quite honestly, I would use $10,000 of the $25,000 towards my school, mostly for field trips as we have to fund our transportation constantly. I think more educational excursions can benefit our students by getting out of the building and taking advantage of fun and hands-on activities to help strengthen learning. As for the remaining $15,000, I'd use it to help support myself and my family.